This cake offers the lilting flavor of lemon, balanced by the moist, light texture found only in a chiffon cake.

2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t salt

1/2 cup safflower oil

7 large eggs, separated, + 3 additional whites

2/3 cup water

2 T lemon juice

1 T grated lemon zest

1 t vanilla

1 1/4 t cream of tarter

Preheat the oven to 325°F.

In a large mixing bowl combine the flour, all but 2 tablespoons of the sugar, baking soda, and salt and beat 1 minute to mix. Make a well in the center. Add the oil, egg yolks, water, lemon juice, lemon zest, and vanilla and beat 1 minute or until smooth.

In another large mixing bowl, beat the egg whites until frothy. Add the cream of tarter, and beat until soft peaks form when the beater is raised. Beat in the 2 tablespoons reserved sugar and beat until stiff peaks form when the beater is raised slowly. Gently fold the egg whites into the batter with a large balloon wire whisk, slotted skimmer, or angel food cake folder until just blended.

Pour into the tube pan (the batter will come to 1 inch from the top), run a small metal spatula or knife through the batter to prevent air pockets, and bake for 55 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean and the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the center. Invert the pan, placing the tube opening over the neck of a soda or wine bottle to suspend it well above the counter, and cool the cake completely in the pan (this takes about 1 1/2 hours).

Loosen the sides with a long metal spatula and remove the center core of pan. Dislodge the bottom and center core with a metal spatula or thin, sharp knife. (A wire cake tester works well around the core. To keep the sides attractive, press the spatula against the sides of the pan and avoid any up-and-down motion.) Invert onto a greased wire rack and reinvert onto a serving plate. Wrap airtight.

Katie: So I’ll start with saying that I didn’t have safflower oil (I used vegetable oil) or a 2 piece tube pan. The cake was still so delicious!!! It was a friend’s birthday and I didn’t know what her favorite cake was. I asked her boyfriend and he said that she really liked lemon cake and angel food cake. When I found this recipe in The Cake Bible, I decided that it was just perfect and that I had to make it for my friend! I had problems with it sticking to the bottom of my pan, so if using the same pan again I would grease just the bottom in order to make it easier to get out. The center of my tube pan would not fit over a wine bottle, so I suspended the cake upside down by placing it between two cooling racks with just the handles of the pan on the rack. See picture below. I really like lemon, and I think this cake could be more lemon-y, but everyone said it was delicious, so I was happy with how it turned out. I would definitely make this again!

Gray: This was perfect slightly chilled. I think serving that way improves the flavor quite a bit. I love how this had a hint of lemon to give it some character, but not overpoweringly so. If you like the texture of an angel food cake, but wish for more flavor then give this a try. Enjoy!